


Tales of Glasstale

by Just_watch_me



Series: Glass Shards Shattered Hopes and Broken Dreams [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Glasstale, Other, Personal AU, if you want more story behind these interactions I have a blog on tumblr, undertale - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2018-07-18 15:58:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 10,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7321528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_watch_me/pseuds/Just_watch_me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Heyo this is going to be the place I post my drabbles for my personal AU of Undertale, Glasstale. A lot of randomness is going to ensue and there isn't going to be an order to how these come out. Still, I hope you enjoy what I write and feel free to leave suggestions of things you want top see happen between the Glasstale cast.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Glass was sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in hand when Gen stumbled into the kitchen.

“M-morning brother.” He greeted around a large yawn. Gen stretched his armies over his head and crackled his joints to loosen some of his morning stiffness. 

Glass chuckled as Gen made a beeline for the coffee pot on the counter. “Heh, mornin’ bro. What’s up? You don’t look like you got a latte sleep last night.”

“Ugh, please! It is too early for you’re awful jokes.” Gen complained as he poured himself a cup from the pot and plopped down in the seat across from him with a sigh. “If you must know, I was out late on night patrol, again.”

Glass frowned “I thought you said you talked to Undyne about this.” This was the third time this week Papyrus got landed with night duty and the late nighters, or early mornings, were beginning to take their toll on the normally energetic skeleton. 

Gen shrugged a bit and replied, “I did, but she insisted that, to get stronger, I must push myself to the best of my abilities! Frankly, I agree with her. How am I supposed to defend Snowdin without giving it my all? A few late nights are nothing!”

“I don’t want to see you running yourself ragged. You joined the guard, what, a month ago? You shouldn’t be pushing yourself so hard.” 

“I’m fine Glass, honestly, and I could be saying the same thing for you!” You look like you haven't slept at all! What were you up to last night?”

He shrugged and smiled “Tibia honest I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about.”

“Don’t do that!” Gen exclaimed, pointing a finger at his brother. “Don’t try to distract me with your awful puns! You have bags under your eye sockets! How is that even possible?”

“Don’t know bro maybe you can look it up at the librarby today.”

“For the thousandth time Glass, that's not how you say it!”

“But that’s what the sign says” he replied cheekily.

Despite himself Gen chuckled, “Fine, make a fool out of yourself. I’m going to the library and do some more research.”

“With all that studying on soul healing, you could become a healer.” Glass commented. 

“Well being part of the Royal guard, it is always best to be prepared!” 

Gen drained the rest of his mug before jumping up and placing it in the sink and hurrying towards the door.

Almost as an afterthought, he poked his head back into the kitchen, the tall skeleton raping his favorite scarf around his neck, “Will you be okay today by yourself? I found a new book yesterday and I want to read as much of it as I can before my afternoon patrol.”

Glass waved him off, “Sure bro, today feels like another good day.”

Gen smiled “That's great Glass! I knew you would start feeling better soon!”

The younger brother shouted his goodbyes before practically running out the door and heading towards the Snowdin Librarby. (What? That was what the sign said!) As soon as Gen was out the door, Glass let his shoulders slump forward. He slowly got out of his seat and poured the rest of his coffee down the drain. The few sips he had already taken were beginning to make him feel nauseous.

In all honesty today wasn’t the best day, it wasn’t even a good day. His magic was running high for whatever reason and his soul had that slight feeling of being crushed and stretched at the same time. Glass let out a sigh and thought about actually staying inside all day, it was defiantly what Gen would have wanted him to do. 

Being indoors with nothing to do only made his soul feel worse and he didn’t feel like working on the machine either. So, Glass had already tied the laces of his boots, pulled up the hood to his sweater, and was out the door before he really considered where he was going to go. Grillby’s was tempting, but if he went, he’d be expected to order something and the usual stares he got did not sound appealing right now. The library was out because that was where Gen was and he didn’t want to have a forced conversation at the inn. Glass let his feet lead him down the road, and just kept going. He passed all his usual hangouts and kept walking until he was surrounded by nothing but trees. 

It was cold, and a little dark, but there was no one in sight. No stares, no awkward conversations, just silence. Sans veered off the path when it began to thin and walked through the trees, keeping in mind where the road was. He stopped in the middle of a small clearing and just closed his eyes. The quiet was definitely one of his favorite things about the place. Heh, I could get used to this he thought with a small smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey does anyone remember back when I first started this I said I was going to write some drables? Well I finally got around to writing another one. I have a few others I’m working on saved in my drafts so I hope I can get those out soon too. It’s about time I get this story rolling don’t you think? And if you couldn’t tell I kind of ship Soriel. Feel free to ship them if you want but Glass and Torie aren’t canonically a thing. Who knows though? Maybe they’ll actually get together one day ;)

All was still in the icy forests of Snowdin. The lights had long since faded The only sound to be heard was the light crunch of snow under a pair of boots.

What was he doing? Never before had Glass thought he would be walking the trail he did now. For all the aimless walking he did, Glass had made a point not to, but here he was slowly making his way through the trees in the middle of the night.

Ahead of him was the reason why he never came this way. Not only was this the most guarded and frequently patrolled path in the Snowdin area, but it was also the only door in the Underground to access the Ruins. 

The door was grand in its simplicity. Made of white marble kept in pristine condition, it had no decorations other than the silver-on-red marking of the monarchy. It reflected the little light there was back at Glass like a beacon. 

Why am I even here? He wondered yet again. And again he tried to sort over the confused mess of thoughts that had somehow led him to where he was now.

It was no secret that Snowdin wasn’t just a small town. It was the first line of defense against a human when one fell. All monster were expected to attack one on sight 

It wasn’t law per say but it might as well have been. It was practically integrated into each one’s since birth but Glass couldn't blindly follow that anymore. After meeting a few humans himself, all of which had been non hostile (for the most part anyway) he couldn’t simply hate them. There was more to their race than viciousness and bloodshed. 

That was why he was here standing at what might as well have been a portal between two worlds. Beyond that door was where the human sympathizers grouped under the leadership of Queen Toriel. If he really didn’t believe in the king’s cause, this is where he would go. 

Unlike the king, the queen and her followers believed that there was good in humanity. They welcomed them with open arms when they fell and cared for them until they either left the Ruins in an attempt to escape back to the surface, or perished. Really the king’s side of the Underground only knew of seven humans that have fallen. There could be more of them that the queen had safely hidden away in the Ruins.

But as much as Glass couldn’t blindly persecute them, he couldn’t just accept them either. It was hard enough to get over your unease of something you’ve been taught to despise your entire life but it felt like there was more to it than that. Glass couldn’t shake the feeling the creeping feeling he got whenever he thought about them. He’d even heard about the destruction a human could cause from another Sans. 

Not to mention leaving would include abandoning Gen. He had his eyes set on becoming a guard so he could help not just Snowdin, but the entire Underground. His brother would be good at it too. Much better than some of the self righteous imbeciles that had managed to snake their way through the guard’s ranks. At least Gen would care. If there more people like Gen in the guard, maybe Glass wouldn’t despise them as much. 

He sighed. That should have made it a no-brainer but he couldn't help but thinking ‘what if.’ Glass flopped down onto the ground and fell back against the door with a soft thump. Better just wait and sit it out. By morning he would realize what a stupid numbskull he was being and go home. 

 

_________________ 

 

Toriel rested her head back against the cool stone of the door. Finally, after a whirl of movement and the weight she carried in her soul, she could take a moment and just breath. 

She missed the days that once filled with peace and quiet but those days were gone. And as much as she longed for them, she wouldn’t go back even if she could. So much was at stake now. 

There was a soft thump on the other side of the door and she sat up suddenly, her soul skipping a beat in her chest. No one should have been near the door at this time of night. “Who’s there?” She asked sharply.

There was a soft noise of exclamation on the other side and a pause before she received an answer. “Uhhh who?”

Toriel raised an eyebrow. “Who… Who?”

“Heh, what are you an owl?”

Glass would have loved the face the queen made if he could see it. Her lips formed a silent ‘oh’ before her shoulders began to shake in silent laughter. Or she tried to make it silent. Suppressed giggles escaped her despite her best efforts. She was already scolding herself for responding so unqueenly but she just hadn’t expected it! When was the last time she had heard a joke? 

“Heh, Tibia honest I didn’t mean to make a joke but you just set yourself up for that one lady.” There was the sound of knuckles being rapped it against the door near her head. “Hey. Knock knock.”

Toriel briefly wondered by what he meant by saying tibia but she decided she didn’t mind enough to ask. The giggles died down to a soft chuckle. “Wh-who’s there?”

“Old lady.”

“Old lady who?”

“Wow I didn’t know you could yodel.” The stranger on the other side of the door was rewarded with another fit of laughter at that. This time she didn’t bother trying to hold it back. Her laugh was much louder and unladylike with snorts. It felt so good when was the last time she had laughed like this? “Oh dear my apologies.” 

“Nah don’t be sorry. You’re the best audience I’ve had in awhile.”

“Really? That is hard to believe.”

“I know I’m a puntastic guy aren’t I?”

She let out a short chuckle at that before finally growing more serious. “Why are you here?” 

There was a pause on the other side of the door. “Heh… Would you believe me if I said I didn’t know?”

“...No.” Yes. She didn’t know why she herself was here after all. 

Toriel couldn’t see him but she got the impression he was shrugging. “Sorry lady I got nothing for you then.” 

Both of them were silent after that. The science stretched long enough that Toriel wondered if the stranger had gotten up and left. The queen asked as much, “Are you still there?”

“Yeah.”

Toriel sighed. Well, she supposed she couldn’t make him leave. She smiled faintly and after a short moment of consideration she rapped her own knuckle on the door. “Knock knock.” She said.

“Who’s there?” She could hear a grin in his voice.

“Dishes.”

“Dishes who?”

“I’m sorry dishes a bad joke.”

She was delighted to hear her own joke met with laughter. “Heh, ah that’s gold I’ll have to remember that one. I bet you haven’t heard this one though…”

They continued to trade jokes through the night. The company was nice if not unexpected for both sides.

Their laughter only came to a stop when the stranger on the other side of the door cursed softly. “Hey lady I got to go.”

Toriel blinked already? She glanced around herself and noticed the crystals were glowing significantly brighter than when they first started talking. Had they really sat out here all night?! “Oh my I must be going as well!” She hurried to stand, gathering her black skirts in her hands to avoid tripping over them. Before she left though she turned back towards the door. “Is it alright to ask if we may talk together again sometime?”

The was a pause and Toriel wondered if the stranger had already hurried off when he replied, “...Heh sure. I’ll be here again tomorrow night.”

Toriel smiled. “I will see you then.” She promised. Tiredness weighed down on her but Toriel felt lighter than she had in a long time. She kept that smile on her face all the way back to the castle.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gen and Undyne have a training session.

“FASTER! YOU CALL THAT DODGING?!? MOVE YOUR SKELETAL ASS!” Gen had just enough time to block a magical teal and red tipped spear with his bone staff before turning and knocking the rest of a coming onslaught from the fierce captain out of the air, causing them to dissolve before their magic could reach the cavern floor. 

They were training in one of the dryer caves of Waterfall near Undyne’s house. The stone floor was already littered with cracks from both spears and bone attacks alike. Neither of them were wearing armor, opting for far less protective but easy to move in clothes.

“DON’T JUST BLOCK THE SPEARS YOU WIMP, DODGE THEM!” Undyne screeched again from her elevated position on a rocky ledge. She was already summoning more of them, aiming them all at the skeleton. 

He nodded and lunged back, dissipating his weapon as he did and Undyne nodded in satisfaction. Good. Continuing to carry it would only be a hassle.

Undyne wasted no time in making her move, launching her spears at the skeleton. She forced him to move across the cave. Back, back, side step, duck. His movements were like a dance as he avoided her attacks. That was until his back hit the cavern wall. 

He shortcutted out of the way of the oncoming spear only to run straight into the line of another that had been coming at him from a blind spot. Not having enough time to resummon his spear, Gen threw his arms up just at the last minute to prevent the attack from hitting his face straight on.

The force of the attack pushed him back against the wall and made groves in the bones of his forearms. Dark blue magic began to seep from the scrapes. Not a lot, but the color on pale bones was distinct enough to be noticed by the fish monster’s sharp eye.

Damnit that had been my fault. “STOP” she called out. Instantly the last of her attacks that were floating in the air disappeared. She should have stopped the moment he got cornered. Undyne jumped down from her higher point and stalked over to Gen a scowl on her face and small green sparks of magic jumping between her fingers. 

Gen straightened with a slight grimace he turned into a smile. “It’s alright captain I’m f-.” A glare from her silenced the rest of his protests and he allowed her to get close enough to heal the scrapes on his radius and ulna.

Sometimes she forgot he had only been a recruit for a couple months. Serif just moved so fast. That was more she could say for some the fully inaugurated guards. It was pathetic the amount of scum they had in their ranks. If the finally say were up to her, half of those excuses called guards wouldn’t have passed their first initiation. That being said she didn’t have the final word, the king did and he believed as long as a monster had the desire to protect their loved ones then there was no reason to hold them back. 

...It wasn’t her place to argue.

After a silent moment of healing, Undyne spoke. “You were doing well enough before you slipped up. Do you know what you did?”

“Yes.”

“What happened?” 

He fidgeted slightly but held his arms still for her. “I lost ground.” He admitted. “I let myself get backed into a corner.”

“Exactly. In a real fight getting caught in a situation like that would have cost you a lot more damage. Which is why we are here to practice dodging, not running to the corner.” The captain finished up her healing and examined Gen’s arms. Damn she needed to work on her healing magic. She hadn’t done much but the quick patch up would suffice for the rest of their training session.

Undyne backed away from Gen, retreating to the center of the cave and resuming her fighting stance. “I know you can move, I’ve been training you long enough to see that, but right now I want you to avoid these next attacks. That doesn’t mean I want you to run across the cave either. I don’t want you to move more than 5 feet in any direction you understand Serif?”

Gen nodded.

“Alright. And no teleportation tricks you got that?”

He nodded again and lowered into a fighting stance of his own, magic beginning to stir in his bones with anticipation. 

Undyne gave a sharp toothed grin. “ALRIGHT SERIF TAKE THIS!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another interaction between Gen and Undyne. This one's a little shorter than the last.

She couldn’t believe it.

“ENOUGH.” Undyne snarled.

Gen immediately dropped his weapon. It faded away as soon as it left his hands and walked closer to her. “Are you ok Undyne? I-I’m so sorry I-”

“YOU HAD AN OPENING!” She cut him off sharply. “DARN IT SERIF WHY DIDN’T YOU TAKE IT? YOU COULD HAVE WON!” He had had her cornered. There was no way she could have dodged fast enough to void a disarming blow but he just let her go! He even lowered his staff to give her an opening! What was wrong with him?

Gen seemed taken back by her outburst, “I-I didn’t want to hu- urt you. It’s only practice.”

“IT’S ONLY PRACTICE BUT WHAT IF THAT WAS A REAL FIGHT?” Undyne’s voice lost some of its volume. “What would you have done then huh? It doesn’t matter if this is just training. How are you going to prepare for battle if you never even land a real blow?”

“I-” Gen’s voice trailed off and he lowered his head. “Go home.” She sighed “We’ll pick up again tomorrow.”

He could do it. He had the makings of a guardsman but he always _hesitated_. It would have been less frustrating if he was doing it to protect his own neck but the fact that he was worried about hitting his opponent was both infuriating and insulting. The first because that was something you simply could not do in a job like this and expect to live. The second because _he_ was worried about hurting _her_ , Undyne. The captain of the royal guard, the best of the best, protector of monster kind, The Spear of Justice. She was one of the strongest monsters in the entire underground and _he_ was worried about hurting _her_.

She watched him go, waiting until he was out of sight before slamming her fist into a nearby boulder. Satisfying cracks formed from the impact but it did little to calm her anger. This is why she couldn’t let him become a guard. He was ready in almost every way. His skills rivaled her own, an accomplishment she was genuinely surprised and a bit reluctant to admit. But he was soft, _weak_. What guard willingly gave the enemy time to recover? She couldn’t fathom what was going on in that big skull of his.

She didn’t want to think what would happen when a human fell down. If Serif came across it… Undyne could only see one possible outcome and she didn’t like it. If he joined the guard, not only would he be a danger to himself, but to his colleagues and all the monsters he sought to protect.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darker yet darker...

It was dark, so dark. Darker yet darker. The black stretched further. The emptiness cut deeper. And still, the void that was supposed to hold nothing held something. A slumped figure stood alone in the nothingness. 

It was almost impossible to see him but only a fool would have been able to miss him. The majority of his form was just as black as the space around him save for the white of his hands and face and the red of his sweater. 

I said space but space really isn’t the proper term to use here. By saying space you implied that there was something. There’s nothing, nothing but the space that was not space and the anomaly of a man standing lost in the middle of it all.

How long had he been there? Days? Months? Years? Seconds? He hadn’t the faintest clue. Time, like light, darkness, somethingness, and nothingness did not exist here. There was no air but what he only knew to call the atmosphere here seemed to be alive with something yet at the same time dead. He could only describe his surroundings as dark as there certainly wasn’t any light but that wasn't quite true either. There needed to be light in order for there to be dark after all. 

Like his ability to tell time, he had trouble recalling, anything really. The night that was not night stretched to the furthest edges of his mind until it became all that he knew. He couldn’t remember how or when he showed up he here. He simply did.

No. That was not true either. He had trouble believing anything was true in this blank slate of a dimension. He did remember somethings. There was a time before the dark. It was a rarity but on some (days?) he would remember faces. Smiling faces. He saw a variety of them doing a variety of things. Some were clearer than others. Two in particular would always be the clearest. They smiled up at him though various glass frames in his deteriorating hall of memories. He remembered watching them grow up. From two small toddlers to teenagers to adults.

He reached out and hugged the memories tightly whenever they flittered within reach. Of all things he wanted to keep, this, his boys, were the most important.

But it was no use. Most of the time he had trouble remembering his own name.

It was Gaster.

Gaster.

Gatser.

Gaster.

Gaster.

Gaster.

He was Gaster, W.D. Gaster Serif Head Royal Scientist to the king. Gaster held tightly to this piece of information. His identity and his boys were the only real thing in this world where nothing existed. He would hold on to this as long as he could 

But the emptiness was eating away at him. This void of nothing was desperate to hold something and he was all there was to devour. It nibbled away at him bit by bit and he was sure it wasn’t just his mind.

He couldn’t quite… remember what he used to look like but his his body didn’t always feel like his own. He felt phantom sensations in appendages he didn’t have. All he had were two, ghost white hands that hovered before him. It was most ironic actually. His body and mind constantly played tricks on him by making him feel things that did not exist while the things he knew he had couldn’t be felt. They were there but his hands did not feel real at all. 

It was both engaging and mind numbing. He found he hated it but he couldn’t clearly remember a time when his senses weren’t eluding him. He had been alone for days, months, years, seconds. A finite and infinite amount of time in a void of nothing that now held something. In a world with neither light or dark, something or nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> W- Waiting impatiently for something.  
> (For Glass or undyne or both)
> 
> So this is the result if a request I got on my tumblr page. It was hard coming up with a situation for this since the only thing the two of them really have in is Gen but I had to do it with both of them together I had to XD This accidentally became more than what I meant for it to be but I still like it :D If any of you guys here have prompts for me remember I a, always open to hear some!

Undyne paced the ground outside her house relentlessly. She hated waiting, hated it. The only thing that made it worse was the fact that she had company.

“Jeez Undyne you’re going to wear a path right through the rock 

That made her stop in her tracks. She hadn’t noticed Glass sneak up until he opened that mouth of his. He was quiet when he wanted to be she would give him that. It helped that he and his brother could teleport like it was no one’s business.

“Captain.” She didn’t spare him a glance as she corrected shortly.

“Heh there's no need for titles.”

She whirled on him and the murder in her eye was enough to make him step back, unfortunately his attitude didn’t change in the slightest.

Glass gave a mocking salute. “Yes sir sorry sir do you want me to bow too?”

Undyne snarled as she went back to pacing. “Why are you even here?”

“Same as you, waiting for my brother.”

“And you couldn’t do that outside your own house?”

Glass just shrugged. Didn’t look like he was going to say anything to that. Fine if he was going to be like that she was just going to ignore him!

She began to pace again but if didn’t help now that someone was watching her. The captain stopped and folded her arms across her chest. Angel’s sake she really hated waiting.

Without her pacing, there was no sound other than the occasional drip of water and the barely audible murder of nearby echo flower. The moments ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace until- surprise surprise- Glass spoke up again.

“You know I think now would also be a good time as ever to talk about some things.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“That’s fine I can do all the talking.” 

“No. For once can you shut your mouth?”

Glass let out a low whistle. “Wow. You don’t know what I was going to say and already you're firing shots. Look,” he leaned against the rocky wall of the cavern, “this isn’t about me or even you, this is about Gen.”

She looked at him from the corner of her eye. “What about him?” 

“It’d be nice if, you know, could give him a break.”

Was that what this was about? Vacation time?! “You have to work hard to be in the guard. If he can’t handle what I give him then he shouldn’t even bother showing up. And he should at least have the decency to tell me to my face.”

“You don't know Gen at all if you think he put me up to this. Nah he loves it. He’d do anything you ask of him and he’d do it gladly. He’s fully capable of doing it too, but I can see it’s starting to wearing him a bit thin.”

“So? If he can handle it, what is it to you?”

“Is it a surprise to you that I care about my own brother?”

She sniffed. “I didn’t think you cared about anything at all.”

Glass’s perpetual grin hardened into something unpleasant. “Huh surprise then. You know you should be going around pointing fingers when I could say the same thing about you.”

“At least I’m not a waste of space.”

“Ok.”

She turned to face him fully, her thin lips pulled back in a sharp toothed sneer. “What is your problem?”

Glass raised an eye ridge at her. “What’s your’s? You’ve been like this ever since I met you.”

“When I first met you I was arresting your sorry ass.”

“Yeah thanks for that by the way, really needed that to clear my head.”

Undyne narrowed her eye. Was he being serious? It was so hard to tell where his sarcasm ended and his genuinity began. Before she could snarl a retort Glass was pushing up from the wall. 

“Look at the time I gotta go but think about what I said about Gen would you? For whatever reason he actually trusts you so go easy on him.

“Bye Undyne _catch_ you later. Say hi to my bro for me.”

And with that Glass walked down the cavern until it turned at the far end and he disappeared out of her sight.

Undyne growled to herself. Blasted angel, that numbskull was a real pain in the rear but she found that dhr almost regretted seeing him go. Almost.

Now all they was left for her to go was waiting. It spoke volumes how much she despised waiting if she was wishing Glass was still there to argue with.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> K. On the edge of consciousness  
> (For Glass)
> 
> Another request! Here have a thing I wrought when I was just as tired as Glass is. Sorry it's so short and messy.

It was quiet. And peaceful too; in both his mind and his surroundings. For once Glass wished it wasn't.

He hated when he got to this point. When it became impossible just to keep his eye sockets open, when actual fear was the only thing keeping him from drifting off entirely.

Angel’s sake he was tired. He was always so tired. Even if he did sleep it was never restful.

The tv was turned on as a last ditch effort to stay awake but the drone of the static was just a soft backdrop to drift off to. He would have gone out for a walk if he’d had the energy to teleport but he didn’t. Shame. A talk with the lady behind the door probably would have helped him.

If she was awake that was and the chances of that were next to none. Gen was asleep, Snowdin was asleep, the entire underground was probably asleep except for him. 

He didn’t want to sleep. He knew what was waiting for him when he did but even he couldn’t stay awake forever...


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happened on my tumblr blog guys. For a bit of background info, me and a friend of mine wrought a couple rps together and ultimately their Timetale Frisk got possessed by their Chara and went Genocidal on Glasstale. They reset of course but the damage was done and everyone still remembers it because the one who reset was not native to their timeline. Gen easily forgave Frisk but Glass is holding a grudge (and honestly it's a completely understandable one I mean he saw Frisk kill everyone.) 
> 
> Anyway Toriel loves giving advice and she can sense trouble from a mile away.

"You are quieter than usual tonight.” The lady commented.

Glass looked up from the patch of snow he had been staring at absentmindedly. He guessed he had been. Glass had told some half hearted puns and laughed along with her when she told her own, but he just wasn’t feeling it tonight. 

“Heh sorry guess I’m just off my A-game.”

He heard her shift on the other side like she was leaning closer to the door. “Is there something troubling you my friend?”

“Nothing important. My brother and I are having sort of a spit.” Despite his light words, Glass’s soul felt like lead in his chest. He hated fighting with Gen. he hated it even more when he wasn’t even sure what he had done wrong to get him mad at him in the first place.

“Well that sounds important to me. Do you want to tell me about it?”

“Nah you wouldn’t want to hear about that. We both came here to have a few laughs didn’t we?”

“Yes, but it is hard to laugh when something troubles you so.”

“I don’t know if there's much to tell.” It wasn’t like he could tell her a kid from another universe and and killed everyone then reset so that almost no one remembered it. She would either not believe him, or tell someone; that would lead to a can of worms he did not want to be opened. Like how he remembered and what the multiverse was… Yeah.

“My brother’s friends with someone I don’t think he should be around.” He said at last. “Long story short they did some messed up shit and my brother just forgave them like it was nothing.”

“And you didn’t?”

“I can’t just forget.”

“And I’m not saying you should.

“Perhaps he has his reasons for trusting them. I do not know much about your brother, but from what you’ve said about him he sounds like a very kind, forgiving soul.”

“He is, he’s the best bro ever. I love him for being the way he is, but sooner or later someone’s going to take advantage of those things.”

“But he has you does he not? As long as you and his friends are by his side then no one should be able to use him.”

Glass snorted through his nasal cavity. “If only he’d let me.”

The lady on the door was quite for. Glass almost though he had drove her away and hadn’t heard her leave. Finally she spoke again. “Do you trust him?”

Glassdidn’t hesitate. “More than anybody.” 

“Then should you not trust him to be capable of making his own decisions?”

She continued on before he could say anything. “I do not think you should forgive this friend if you do not find them trustworthy, but you should not keep him from seeing them.

“Trying to change his mind has only pushed him further away and I don’t think either of you want that. Let him know how much you love him and that you’re there to support him with whatever he decides to do. That way if this friend betrays his trust, you’ll be there for him.

“Sounds great, but I think he’s still angry with me though.” 

That was the only part of this whole thing that bothered Glass. He couldn’t care less about Frisk, not after what they’ve done and what they’re capable of doing again, or what they thought of him now, but he couldn’t stand knowing Gen was disappointed in him. 

“Then apologize.” She said simply.

“He doesn’t want me to apologize to him, he wants me to apologize to his friend.” 

“Then I would do it. It sounds like you and this person have much to discuss. Even if you do not forgive them, you should at least come to terms with them. Talk and find out why they did what they did.”

“I guess.” He did know how he could ever look at Frisk and not see them covered in the dust of the innocent. 

“Hey thanks for the advice lady, you gave me plenty food for though.”

“It was my pleasure. Orange you glad you told me?”

“Heh, yeah actually.” Glass smiled. “Not sure if Im up for telling puns yet, but uh… could we just sit here for a while?” 

“Certainly.” She surprised him with her response. He hadn’t expected her to agree; with it being this late at night surely she wanted to go to bed right? Think with that in mind Glass hadn’t expected the lady to stay long, but she did.

She was mostly quiet, but occasionally she would comment on random little things which he would make s comment to in return before sinking back into silence. Sometimes she would ask him a question about his souroundings, or his brother, or other things he’s already told her a little about and he’d answer her.

It was nice. No rushed interaction; not like telling puns through a door was heavy conversation in the first place, but this was nice.

Heh. He wished he knocked on the door and met her sooner.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ey important note!
> 
> Boy it has been a while since I added a chapter over here. So a little on the going ons in Glasstale: Gaster has been freed from the void with the help of an alternate Frisk from Frozentimetale and this is basically the skelefam coming to adjust and their plans for the imminent future. The next few drabbles I post are going to be focused mostly around this event so be sure to read the next one or two to see how it all pans out.

A few days after Gaster’s return came and went in an odd combination of peace and uncertainty. Everything about them was calm, but at the same time no one knew what the next step to take was. Gen had called off training to spend time with him, and Glass didn’t have anywhere to call in so of course he was there as well. Gaster himself was quiet, a near shadow that wandered between rooms. It was the first time they had everyone under the same roof together in ages, yet conversation was lacking.

It was their father, as quiet as he usually was, who finally broke the fine layer of tension that had begun to settle by inquiring how they should go about explaining his disappearance. It wasn’t like Dings could stay in the house forever.

They decided to leave any mention of the void out of their explanation about Gaster’s disappearance. Gen would go out spreading the news of Dings’s return and would say that after the accident Gaster suffered amnesia- which wasn’t really a lie- and in his altered state, had wandered to Waterfall where he stayed hidden for years- that was a lie. He didn’t seemed too bothered by having to twist the tale a bit. He seemed more excited than anything else in fact, saying it would be the beginning of Gaster’s “return to his social life!”

From the initial telling of their story, word would get around and people would fill in any gaps with their own fables. That was one of the wonders of living in a gossip starved community; monsters loved to invent their own news.

Now that they had started, Gen insisted there were other things that needed addressing. Such as their living space. Their house had never been big, but it had been enough for Glass and Gen. With an additional family member however, their two bedroom cabin had never felt smaller. For now, Gaster was staying in the couch, but that couldn't be a permanent solution. Gen was adamant about that.

It was decided that it was best they moved. Hotland was the area Gaster had lived in the longest after monsters had spread out from Old Home. Gen hoped the familiar area would jog some of their father’s memories, and Dings was optimistic. Glass liked to think it would help too, but he couldn’t shake the feeling going back would change things in ways none of them expected. That was the future, go figure right?

Any apprehension he had put aside, Glass was near set. He’d say one or two goodbyes, definitely have a chat with the lady in the Ruins before going, but that was all he had on his to-do list. He had nothing else holding him. Most of the tying up of loose ends was going to be Gen’s job. Maybe that's where his reservations stemmed from in the first place.

And since today was full of addressing issues… “What are you going to do about the guard?”

“Hmm?” Gen looked up.

Glass made a useless gesture in the air. “You can't keep training in Hotland can you? All the available guard positions are out here in the boonies.”

“You’re right, I’ll have to tell Undyne that I’m resigning at our next training session.”

“What, just like that?” Glass asked. “Come on bro, joining the royal guard has been your goal since coming here. Even as a kid you looked up to them.”

“My dream was bing capable of protecting everyone yes, but I can do that anywhere in more than one way. I will adjust! 

~~“I’m sorry…”~~

For a moment the brothers had forgotten their father was still in the room. He hadn’t uttered a word in a while and they jumped at the sound.

Gen gave a confused smile. “I don’t understand why you are apologizing?”

Gaster was looking down at his lap. ~~“I didn’t want to make you upset.”~~

“Why does everyone think I am upset? Do I look upset? I’m fine! This move will be good for us all! If you blame yourself for something that we should be celebrating, then I will be upset!”

~~“But this was important to you?”~~

“Yes,” he admitted, “but there are plenty more things that are important to me.” Gen smiled “Like family!”

And with that the subject was dropped. Gen wouldn’t hear another word against it, genuinely insisting that the three of them should do something to celebrate.

Well, whatever they did, Glass couldn't say he was that sorry to go. He was sorry this was uprooting his brother again, but Gen didn’t seem sad, and Gaster was eager to find something familiar he could latch onto. If his bro was happy, and Dings was happy, then he would be too, regardless of their residence.

He wouldn’t miss this place. Sure it had it’s moments and acquired pleasures. There was the lady behind the door, the woods, the lack of people. All were good things he’d regret leaving once he was actually gone, but as for the general nothing that was this town, Glass had never found himself deeply attached. 

The next day Glass found Gaster curled up on the couch, a bunch of half packed boxes and piles of things around him. Gen must have assigned him a job to keep his hands busy, but Gaster wasn’t packing anything at the moment. He had his full attention on a framed photo in his hands 

Glass pushed a box out of the way and sat down next to him. “Hey Dings, what’d you find?”

He started a bit and looked up smiling. Instead of answering, he turned it around and presented the picture to Glass. It was an old one, so old Glass had forgotten they still had it. It was him as a kid, couldn’t have been older than five. He was in Gaster’s lap, reaching up towards his face and not even trying to pose for the camera.

Ding’s face was how he remembered it, marginally less cracked and broken and his eye lights a steady glow. 

The arm that Gaster wasn’t holding Glass with was wrapped around the shoulders of another skeleton. She was shorter than Dings by a few inches, but stood in a way that let you know she was totally capable of kicking your ass. The look of mirth on her face softened any firmness it may have had as she tried to encourage kid Glass to look at the camera. Ironically, not even she was looking at the lense. It had been an accidental shot, the angle was crooked, and the taker’s thumb could be seen at the edge, but Glass remembered Dings had gotten a frame for it anyway. To Glass it felt like he was looking at a relic. “Wow you found that. Heh, it’s been awhile since I saw that one.”

~~“That is me and you, but where is Papyrus?~~ ”

“Wasn’t born yet.” Glass’s eyelights jumped between Gaster and the photo. “How much do you remember about mom?” 

~~“Ah, not much…”~~

“You don’t remember her name do you?”

Gaster’s following silence said enough.

“It was Alegreya. Heh. I can’t believe you can remember bits about your coworkers, but you completely forgot the love of your life’s name.”

~~“Glass.”~~ He snapped. Gaster's shoulders were curled in a defensive hunch. 

He raised his hands. “Hey, what happened in the void wasn’t exactly in your control.” Glass looked away. “Besides, sometimes I thought you wanted to forget her anyway.”

The way Gaster stared at him made it impossible for him not to elaborate. “Sheesh, don’t give me that look… it’s just that you never talked about her after she passed. You left most of the describing to me when Gen started asking about her, and all I had to remember her by were the first six years of my life.”

He looked down at the picture again. “Heh, she would have been pissed at us for forgetting about her.”

~~“You didn’t forget.”~~ Gaster replied. ~~“And I don’t think I would have wanted to either. Not her. If I did, then I was a fool.”~~

“Well, you were, but you were also a genius. Kind of balanced itself out in its own way.”

~~“That… is not very comforting in this given context.”~~

He ran a finger along the frame. ~~“Skies... I want to be able to look at my life and have it make sense. Glass, I didn’t even recognize your mother.~~ ” His shoulders hunched inwards more as he stared at the photo. ~~“I must have known her for years... decades, but I don’t remember.~~

~~“I want to remember… More than just her. I-I have gone so long without my memories and now I don’t even know who I am anymore… Do I even act like the man who raised you?”~~

“Hey.” This was the most Gaster had said about his memory, let alone in one sitting since they got him back. He’d known it had been bad, but he didn’t know the extent of his memory wipe. He still didn’t. It was a lot for a guy to go through, it was a lot for him to just listen to. 

Glass put a hand on his shoulder, it was soft and almost malleable. “You’re different Dings, but you’re still you. Uh, you know, you still do that thing with your hands when you're nervous, you’re still a night owl, and you still drink your coffee with two creams and no sugar. Things are different, but you’re still you.”

Gaster looked like he was trying to be reassured, but wasn’t quite managing it. Still, he nodded.

~~“Will you help me remember her?”~~ His voice sounded even more like a croak than usual.

“Yeah of- Dings, this is why we’re moving across the Underground. Me and Gen’ll always be there to help you.”

That seemed to make him too choked up for words. ‘Thank you.’ He signed.

A moment of silence passed. Glass almost thought Dings was going to cry, wouldn’t be the weirdest or least expected thing Gaster has done since coming back, and honestly, he looked like he needed it. Well, while that was fine, sometimes there were better ways to get your emotion out besides crying about them.

“Hey.” 

Glass took the photo from Gaster’s limp hand. He slid the picture out of the frame and went into the kitchen, getting a pen. He return immediately so Gaster could see what he was doing with it. Plopping back down on the couch next to him, Glass used his knee and wrought ‘don’t forget’ across the bottom in careful letters before handing it back to him. 

“Here. It’ll be a reminder for the both of us.” They’ll never forget mom again, neither of them.

Gaster took it with gentle fingers as if the paper would crumble to ash if he weren’t careful. ~~“Thank you.”~~ He murmured. ~~“I would like a picture of Gen too.”~~

Well, this was something he could do. “We got a lot to pick from.” He said standing. Gaster followed suit only after Glass said. “Come on they’re all upstairs.”

There were a lot of boxes up in Glass’s room, more than needed to hold his own possessions. That was because a good portion of them weren’t even his. The ones stacked behind the door weren’t at least. Well, soon enough they’d have a new home, and Gaster would choose it.

He patted one of the boxes on top. “These are yours.”

‘Mine?’ He signed, too startled to speak. ~~“You kept my things in your room?”~~

“Uh- yeah. Gen would go through your stuff sometimes, but neither of us knew where else to put them so they just ended up staying in here. Not a lot of room in the house you know.” Glass picked a box off the pile and set it aside with a huff.

“All the family pictures, some of your clothes and lab coats, your ID, old notes, and some of the things you were tinkering with are in these.”

Gaster watched, a hand materializing to trace the curling tape on one of the boxes. ~~“You kept all of it?”~~

“Most of it.” Glass amended as he moved aside another box. “Gen didn’t want to leave your stuff behind, but we couldn’t pack everything with us when we moved. We settled on taking the things we thought were most important to you.” Gen had done most of the decision making. He’d been too busy lying in a corner of self pity and guilt to be much help for anything.

Glass finally found the box he was looking for and picked it up. Set it on his bed, not minding if some of the dust got on the sheets. After tearing the tape off he dug in its contents and handed a thick book to Gaster. 

“That one’s mostly filled with baby pictures of Gen… and this one’s mine. You sure liked taking a lot of pictures Dings.”

~~“And I have never been more grateful I did before in my entire life.”~~

“I bet.” Glass almost laughed. He watched his dad flip through the pages. 

Gaster was smiling

An inky black trail fell from his eye and Gaster sniffed, wiping it away with a hand. He was crying, the exact thing Glass had been hoping to avoid. Ah well at least they were happy tears? Glass 

He spent the rest of the evening awkwardly patting his dad on the back as he clutched the books to his chest and sobbed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya this ties in pretty close with the last chapter even tho it's a different setting. Please enjoy!

Glass tapped his knuckles against the white stone and was surprised when an answer came almost immediately.

“Who’s there?”

“Myth.”

“Myth who?“

“Myth you too.”

The lady behind the door laughed. “It is so good to hear from you again my friend. You know you have not visited me in some time. Don’t tell me you’ve found another door to tell puns at.”

Glass smiled, leaning against the stone and sliding down til he was sitting at the base. “Nah, I’d ever find a better audience.”

“Maybe I could.” She teased. “I could find someone who wouldn't leave me waiting by frosty doors. Brrr! It is so cold here, I’ve been frozen through waiting! I can’t imagine what it must be like on your side, friend.”

“Heh, well that’s cold I thought we had something going here.” He shrugged against the stone with a half smile. “But I guess it’s cold here too. I’ve never given you the cold shoulder over it before though.”

The lady hummed. “True, you haven’t. Does it not bother you?”

Glass grinned. “Heh, it chills me to the bone but in never seems to get through my skin.”

“ _Icy_.” She said with a laugh. “That's good to hear, but then what am I to think about you leaving me to myself for so long? What a cold hearted friend I have.”

“I’d never leave you in the cold on purpose, but uh, cooling it on the puns for a moment, I guess I owe you an explanation.”

The humor faded somewhat from her voice. “You do not owe me anything of the sort. I hope you realize I was teasing.”

Glass shrugged again. “I know, but a lot has been going on lately. You’ll want to know some of this.”

The lady replied in a softer tone. “I will admit I was worried when you disappeared for so long. Something bad hasn’t happened has it?”

“Eh.” It was good and bad. His old man came back from the dead, that was great. Heh, it was the best actually, but now they were moving across side of the Underground and he just didn't think there were doors hiding strange ladies with amazing senses of humor over there.

“Tibia honest I’m not sure if I can come back to visit after this.”

“What?” Glass heard movement on the other side. “Is something wrong?”

Well shoot that might not have been the best way to start on the subject. “No, no jeez don’t worry about it.” He was backpedaling, trying to think of a better way to start. “Uhh, it’s actually really good, it’s great.”

“Oh? Well now you absolutely must explain my friend. What has been happening in your part of the world?”

Glas took a breath, ”A few days ago someone I never thought I’d get to see again came back and now he’s moved in with me and my brother.”

He could practically here the relief in her voice as well as the joy for him. “That’s wonderful! Are the three of you doing well? How is your friend?”

“My bro and I are good.” Glass thought about Dings crying inky tears over a photo album. “And he’s getting there.

“But you get why I can’t come back right? It’s great having him back and all, but it’s kinda hard to stay in Snowdin with things as they are.” 

“Do you know where it is you'll be moving?” Her voice was pleasantly kind but he could hear the subtle note of... something, through the stone. Disappointment most likely.

Glass huffed out through his teeth. “All the way out to Hotland.” To the Capital, if he bothered to be specific.

He heard her laugh softly. “Yes then I can see how that would put an end in our meetings.”

“Yeah.” 

… He shouldn’t have said anything yet; silence descended on them like snow, the light atmosphere they had built on small talk and puns had crumbled like stone. The more time passed, the thicker and more suffocating the layer of rubble seemed to get. He had to admire the lady for being the one to push it off. He would have if the topic she chose hadn’t caught him so completely off guard. 

“Tell me, what do you think about humans?”

Glass lifted his head up a little in surprise. The last sure knew how to choose a topic changer. They’d avoided talking about this, it was a can of worms he figured broth of them wanted to open. What was he supposed to say? 

The word human ignited this feeling of unease with in. His nightmares were probably the cause But had he met more good humans than bad? He and the Frisk that wasn’t theirs… were ok. He didn’t know if he could call them a friend, but they didn’t quite hate each other, somehow. Then there was Leo and Tahlia and others. Not all were that good, but there weren’t a lot that were bad.

Shit he had been quiet for a while hadn’t he? “...I don’t know.” His voice sounded tight even to him.

“Do you know what you would do if you met one?”

Glass couldn’t answer that. He didn’t know because he didn’t know what he would be dealing with when the time came. Would they be like the others he had met, or the personification of his nightmares?

“Please.” Her voice begged. “If you were to meet the next one in Hotland, if they were to survive that far, would you help them make it the rest of the way?”

“That's one hell of a promise lady.” The words slipped out before he could really think about them, but they were true. What she was asking of him was treason.

_“Please.”_ She whispered. “So many lives have been lost. It’s not right for more to be taken.”

“That argument could go both ways you know.” 

“Yes that’s what Asgore would like you to think.” The amount of vehemence in her voice made Glass sit up. “I can tell you without a doubt in my mind and soul that there are many more sort of heart than there are of mindless violence.”

“No one’s calling it mindless.” Glassmumbled. He wasn’t sure if she heard him. 

There was no promising that the next human to fall would be kind. If the entire damn multiverse was any reference to go by, then there was a good chance they’d be a killer. But what if their final human wasn’t the same? Their words had parallels and similarities sure, but they were still different. Whatever hell the other hims had gone through didn’t have to happen with him. 

...Dammit he was going to regret this. 

Glass let a sigh escape through his teeth. A moment later he said, “I’ll keep an eye on them.” That was it, he couldn’t promise anything more. 

“Thank you.” The lady’s voice was thick with some emotion the stone between them obscured, but Glass got the picture.

If the air had been thick before, it was too heavy now for them to recover the conversation. Glass was missing the playful banter more and more as he sat, the silence stretched further with each passing moment. Maybe he was just tired, but that promise seemed to be doing it's best to sink him into the snow and make him stick there.

He couldn’t think of anything to say, his magic sat stiffly in his bones as his thoughts mulled over the human. Stars, what was he doing making a promise like this? He couldn’t think of anything to say that would thaw the silence between them.

He wasn’t falling asleep, but he was zoning by the time the lady spoke again. 

“Are you still there?”

Glass blinked, those few words as jarring and effective in pulling him out of his head as running into a brick wall would be. Then he remembered, shoulders slumping as he let out a small huff of air. “Yeah.” 

“Thank you… Did you ever hear of the snowman that was famous?”

“Nope.”

“Really? I’m so surprised, everyone I know says he’s so cool!” 

Oh. That was good. “Wait no it came to me. I do know the guy.” Glass was smiling. “You know he got a call from his sister a while back. She tried telling him that snow business was a dead road.”

“Oh my!”

“Yeah. Guess you could say that he was really feeling burnt out.”

Maybe Glass was screwing future him over, but at that moment he could make himself forget that as he listened to the best laugh he swore he’d ever heard in his life.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely important!!!!  
> So in a thread Gaster gets sucked back into the void when he teleports and discovers a lost human soul from @asktahliathings on tumblr. He ends up absorbing it since it was fading and now he has ⅕ the power of a human soul. The soul is sentient too, so now Tahlia is forever in his head kind of like how Chara is in Frisk’s. It’s not that important to the drabble but it is mentioned briefly so I thought I should clarify what happened. 
> 
> Also the stone Glass mentions (that I have never brought up before cuz I sometimes forgot it existed and it was never all that important before oops hahaha) was a gift from one of the first people I ever rped Glass with. At first Glass’s condition was gonna be a hell of a lot worse but the stone he got absorbs excess magic so that it doesn’t concentrate in his soul and give him a burn out whenever he does simple tasks like teleport once or twice or summon a few bones. Still it has its limits and he can still make himself sick by using too much magic in one go.
> 
> K that’s all~ Happy reading!

There was something funny about living in the dark; you didn’t realize you were always in it until you were introduced to the _bright_. It was always bright in the Capitol, Glass hadn’t realized how much he’d forgotten what living here was like. Everything was made from the same grey-brown mudstone that only looks red because of the light crystals and the magma pools glowing on the horizon. If you stood on top of a building or at the edge of New Home the lights made a heck of a great sight, but deep in the city, it was more of a diffused fog that hid the ceiling in a cape of fumes and magic exhaust from the Core. 

Even from his perch by the window of their new apartment Glass could see the warm haze that seemed to hang over the city. ...Gave the place a sleepy feel to him. Sleepy. That would’ve been a good word to use after curfew, when the city slept, but as the day was nearing its peak the Capitol was like an overheating machine. Glass could see below in the streets monsters crushed nearly shoulder to shoulder, milling about going to whatever business they had in a chaotic sea of bodies that made the surface of his bones crawl just watching. Glass sat there staring down at the activity and listening to the faint murmur of commotion that seeped through the window much like the heat that warmed the sleeve of his new jacket.

It had been a gift from Gen. While everyone had been packing, he’d somehow found the time to find a gift for him and Dings. The old man got a clock and he’d been so excited by it you’d think Gen had gotten him a literal star. The little guy sat at Gaster’s bedside table now ticking away and presenting the time proudly on its face. Dings had a habit of glancing at it whenever he passed by. It was clear he loved his gift, and Glass loved his. 

The jacket was blue with black pockets and hood- thank the stars it had a hood, that was probably why Gen had picked it out for him. It wasn’t lined with fur like his old one had been, another possible reason his brother picked it since he’d probably thought it would’ve been ‘impractical’. Yeah, like skeletons needed jackets and hoodies to stay warm anyways. But at least it had _looked_ practical in Snowdin he supposed.

Stars, was it crazy to say he already missed the place? Snowdin may have been tiny, but that was actually the thing Glass liked most about it. The air had been clear and cool and the cavern tops were so far up you couldn’t tell what color they were. Glass would guess it was some grey siltstone similar to the ground beneath all the snow, but really, not even the crystals could shed enough light for you to tell. 

He… hadn’t been _happy_ when they moved there, but it had almost been like a weight he didn’t know he had had been lifted from his shoulders. It was small compared to the other weights at the time, but now that it had repositioned itself in its old spot on his chest, it felt like there was a rock there instead of a soul. 

Thinking about Snowdin reminded him of their trip on the river and the weary ache that had since then decided to make itself more noticeable and frankly, annoying as hell. It would have been easier, certainly a lot faster if the three of them could have ported all their things over with the aid of magic, but Gaster hadn’t been all that thrilled by that idea, to say the least. Ever since his venture back to the void, he’d been avoiding the use of teleporting however he could. Usually it wasn’t even a problem seeing that he hadn’t left the house in Snowdin often. And even though the power boost he’d got from binding with that soul probably meant he’d been able to get out again if he did get stuck again, none of them wanted to risk it. 

And Gen didn’t want Glass teleporting back and forth carrying things either because he was afraid his stone wouldn’t be able to keep up with the trips. Which was a sensible concern, but _still_. 

Glass felt his fingers trace over the edges of the stone. Sometimes he almost forgot he had it hanging around his neck, but now he found he couldn’t stop touching it. It was transparent and lightly tinted blue-green like colored glass. It really _could_ have been a piece of glass for all anyone knew. 

He almost insisted it would be enough to make it bearable, but in the end, Glass hadn’t objected to taking the boat. Dings didn’t want to move their belonging by teleporting anyway, so it wasn’t worth it. And hey it made Gen feel better so why not?

But dammit just because he agreed to it didn’t mean Glass had been looking forward to it. The Riverperson sure made traveling across the underground easier, but there was something downright unsettling about them. Remarkably, it wasn’t the fact that they always spoke in rhyme, but that did accent the weirdness. It was just how they always seemed to know what was going on in his head be it by observation or just crazy luck. The most recent drip hadn’t been any less weird. 

_“It is good that we all dream.”_ They’d said.  
_“Who knows what else we would do at night?_  
_“Would we go to where they scream?_  
_“Or would they come to us?_  
_“Tra la~ One thing is for certain; reality would split at its seam.”_

“What are you saying?” Glass shouldn’t encourage them, but the question slipped out anyway.

_“Nothing!_  
“ _Nothing but riddles and rhymes!  
“Though I dare say all will make sense in time.”_

Gaster had rubbed his head like it hurt and Glass hadn’t blamed him. This guy made everyone’s head do cartwheels. They made… literally no sense, but Dings had reasoned with a spark of humor that they weren’t wrong. He’d still looked scattered though, staring at the back of the Riverperson like he could read something inscribed in the folds of their black robes.

Gen had been waiting for them at the dock, as per plan, but before they’d reached him, the Riverperson had turned around, somehow without even jostling the boat as it drifted slowly to a stop.

_“Tra la la we have arrived._  
_“But before you go,_  
_“There is something you should know._

_“She says: stop moping!  
“For it’s no way of coping.”_

“What?”

_“What? Tra la la~”_

He shouldn’t give any of it a second thought, but Glass found himself unable to stop turning their words over and over in his head. The guys was a cryptic that was for sure. He’d never met a monster like them, and Dings had looked even more bewildered by them than Glass had when getting off the boat. It hadn’t swayed a bit, but somehow he still felt like their trip had been a rocky start.


End file.
